Day one of practice rounds is underway at the Augusta National Golf Club (ANGC). When practice rounds and tournament days conclude each evening, area tourism and business leaders want visitors to explore activities off the golf course.
Destination Augusta created a new set of tools to showcase the Garden City. It began with a refresh of its Visit Augusta website.
“We updated our content and are getting it on the forefront of our homepage so it’s easily accessible to people who are Googling for answers,” Karen Lee Davis of Destination Augusta explained for ABD. “We want to be a resource for them to not only connect them to the Augusta National page for more information, but also to connect them with things to do while they are in Augusta and not on the golf course.”
A banner on top of the Destination Augusta homepage provides a direct link to a wealth of information about the area. One of the new assets is a redesigned experience guide. It is in partnership with the Greater Augusta Arts Council (GAAC).
“We have been working all last year to build out some brand new assets that allow people to build their adventure or navigate Augusta, including a brand new experience guide,” she said. “Another asset is a new pocket map of downtown Augusta, and on the flip side, it’s the different neighborhoods that make up Augusta. It folds down into a credit card size, so easy for a visitor to grab from Augusta & Company (at 1010 Broad Street) and start navigating their way around town.”
The partnership with GAAC also provides a competition for visitors to search Augusta’s downtown by following the “Bots on Broad” trail.
“Leonard “Porkchop” Zimmerman has created a bunch of Tommy robots that will be playfully hidden all around Broad Street,” said Davis. “It’s almost a scavenger hunt, and you try to navigate the clues to locate all the Tommy robots up and down Broad Street. It’s another way to bring people downtown and fully engage them with the local businesses.”
Columbia County is also in the swing of things. It was host to the first rounds of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA) at Champion Retreat. Columbia County also hosts one of the crown jewels of tournament week. The 22nd annual Rock Fore! Dough concert, featuring singer Brantley Gilbert, will be on April seventh at the Lady A Amphitheater in Evans Towne Center Park.
Heath Taylor, President and CEO of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, said they have urged businesses to be ready to welcome the visitors.
“We’re sprucing up, we’re cleaning up, we’re getting things ready for our guests that are coming to Augusta from all over the world,” he said. “We need to make sure we’re putting our best foot forward to welcome them, to greet them, maybe even have some of them consider making Augusta and Columbia County their homes.”
Aiken is also rolling out the red carpet for golf fans. Chamber President and CEO, Jim Tunison, said visitors can enjoy Southern charm and hospitality in a historic downtown with small shops, boutiques, and restaurants.
“Folks are power washing the fronts of their businesses. They’re getting ready. They’re doing extra marketing,” he said. “The Downtown Development Association, they have an annual art walk. There’s stuff going on in the alley. They really try to put their best foot forward, to showcase what we have, and to use it as a showcase to get these people coming back, not just during the couple of weeks for Masters, but all year long.”
A rundown of this week’s activities and unique events is available online at:
https://www.visitcolumbiacountyga.com/
https://www.rockforedough.com/
https://www.visitaikensc.com/tournament-week/
